Keeping Those Job Descriptions Current

This topic is for both employees and management!  Making sure what one does, or what the company is paying someone to do and documenting accurately the features of that position is one of the more difficult tasks management has.  Employees also are negligent in keeping track of the position description as their duties change.  In small companies this even becomes harder as everyone pitches in to meet deadlines and get things done!  One of the discussion topics on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website provides information and tools to manage the job descriptions.
First – why this is important:  the descriptions are used as information for many of the company activities.  They are a tool used in recruiting, salary planning, setting employee objectives and doing career planning.  They are also needed to do strategic planning at the executive level.  Finally, they are part of the process when meeting legal requirements for compliance purposes. 
The discussion on the SHRM site recommends reviewing these documents every few years, in conjunction with salary reviews and updating the organization’s purpose and mission.  I maintain that in a rapidly expanding business this may not be often enough.  The issue here is not the one-time “other duties as assigned” task.  The description needs to change when job assignments are shifted or a new process is added to a department or employee.  Sometimes a position is eliminated, as has been the case in the last few years.  The duties of that position are normally shifted to another employee and need to be written down.  I’ve seen situations where a critical department function was let drop because no one remembered who was responsible and there wasn’t sufficient documentation.
The review process should include tracking an employee’s duties and the how much time is spent on each task, observing the employee performing his or her job, interviewing the employee, managers and others who work with the employee, and comparing the job to other jobs in the same department or the same job level and category.  Please remember – this is not an employee review, but a test of the accuracy of the job description.
There are forms available that can be used to audit a job.  Employees can fill out a questionnaire to provide a current picture of the job as they perceive it. The form may ask for job title, reporting structure, general purpose and daily and periodic tasks.  The employee may be asked to estimate the time each takes, and for how long they have been performing these tasks.  An important part of this survey should determine what the employee thinks they are doing that is unnecessary, and what things they should be doing as part of their position.  Information gathered here can be very revealing!  Finally  the employee should provide background – education and experience – that the job requires, and what skills and education they have currently. 
The same form can then be used to check with department managers and confirm that these are indeed the tasks and responsibilities of the position.  Education and experience should be checked against the current position requirements.  In the process there may be situations where the job needs to be re-categorized to meet the facts!
Sound like a lot of work?  In reality it can save a lot of hassle later on because of misunderstandings or – as I mentioned earlier – missed steps in the business process.  Good luck!

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Tags: employment issues, job descriptions, staffing plans